2/3 Of Pennsylvanians Want Legal Online Gambling

The poll, commissioned by the Harrisburg-based Bravo Group lobbying firm, surveyed 769 registered voters between May 9-15. Of those surveyed, 66% want state politicians to “pass a law that will tax online gambling so the money can be used for education and other vital state programs.” Only 20% of those surveyed expressed opposition to such a proposal.

The poll’s findings are in stark contrast to the farcical survey results released earlier this month by the Sheldon Adelson-supported Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling. That much-derided ‘push-poll’ – which salted the mine by reading participants highly loaded and seriously dubious statements about online gambling – claimed that nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania voters wanted to see online gambling operators’ heads impaled on spikes.

Both surveys reveal how the phrasing of a question can skew the results. In the Bravo poll, 58% of participants said they supported passage of a law that licensed and strictly regulated online gambling. That’s still a significant majority, but eight points less than the question that included mentions of funding for education and whatnot.

The Bravo poll found 80% support for lawmakers requiring online operators to use technology to prevent underage gamblers from accessing gambling sites (which makes you wonder about the 14% who apparently think SesameStreetSlots.com is a good idea). Requirements for other harm-minimization technological efforts, such as allowing gamblers to set limits on deposits, losses and the length of time spent gambling, received 52% support.